Dawn Chasers
by cole-lit
Summary: The most important thing Kirito learned from SAO is that little sisters are unstoppable forces to be reckoned with (because they have big brothers who would do anything for them at their beck and call). It all started when Kirito saved Silica on the first floor and it all ended when Kirito dueled a madman to the death. (AU. SAO reboot)
1. November 10, 2022

It has been four days since SAO has become a «Death Game». And for the last three days, Kirito has been farming for materials needed to enhance his «Anneal Blade».

At the moment, he needed 22 «Wolf Fangs» to enhance his «Anneal Blade» from +2 to +3. «Wolf Fangs» had a 10% chance of being dropped by level 2 mobs called «Grey Wolves», which most commonly spawned in the valleys north of «Horunka Village». For a level 6 player like Kirito, these mobs shouldn't pose much of a problem, except they were very aggressive and always spawned in packs of six. Or if he was unlucky, they would spawn in packs of seven where the seventh mob was a level 4 mob boss called «Alpha Wolf», which could summon «Grey Wolves» if one of its packmates died.

Since no mobs were visible, Kirito took that moment of reprieve to summon his menu window and activate his «Searching» skill, which could detect mobs that could be hiding in the caves and trees that were prevalent in the area. When no mob icon appeared in his range of vision, he sighed in relief before downing a healing potion in one huge gulp. Wincing at the horrible taste, he wished he had access to healing crystals which could recover HP instantly or at least higher level and better tasting healing potions that were available from the eleventh floor onward.

Before he closing the menu window, he checked the system time.

«17:22»

Kirito had more than enough time to return to «Horunka Village» before turned dark. Nighttime in «Aincrad» was from 18:00 to 6:00 and posed a threat to players outside safe zones because monsters would become more aggressive and spawn more frequently. Despite his need to become stronger to survive this hell of a game, staying out was practically a death sentence he had no intention of serving.

On his way back, his «Searching» skill detected several incoming mobs from the south. Once activated, the «Searching» skill would only deactivate after reaching its time limit. Since his «Searching» skill was at level 31, it had a range of 15.5 meters and a time limit of 93 seconds with a default five minute «Cooling» period.

The reasonable course of action was to activate his «Hiding» skill, which was at level 22, and stay in the trees until the mobs pass by him. He wouldn't be in full health for another two minutes thanks to the slow regen speed of the healing potion and he was exhausted since he has been farming for around ten hours. He was so ready to take a long nap before waking to another day of farming and grinding.

Then he heard screaming.

Despite his exhaustion and fatigue, he pushed himself to his very limits - _faster, I have to be faster_ \- towards the source of the screaming, which coincidentally also meant towards the mobs.

It was a young girl wearing beginner equipment, running from two dozen «Grey Wolves» and two «Alpha Wolves».

For a moment, he wondered how did she get this far without anyone offering her help. She was one of the rare female players that men usually went out of their way to be nice to - offering freebies and help and the like.

But then, he realized that this wasn't just any MMO, this was a «Death Game». Helping her would risk their lives. No, it would spell instant death to any player who tried.

Compared to beta, leveling up was more difficult now. (Actually, _everything_ was more difficult compared to beta, even without the element of «True Death».) It took him three days of grinding to reach level 6, which meant he only leveled up twice since he was already at level 4 by the end of the first day, thanks to the large XP bonus that came with the «Anneal Blade» for completing the «Secret Medicine of the Forest» quest. For any game, it was ridiculous to spend 30 - 33 hours of grinding to increase his level by two, especially this early in the game where there should be a relatively low XP requirement to level up. If this was the rate of leveling up, then it would take weeks to level up once they reach the double digits.

So right now, it was likely that no one was at a high enough level to take on two whole packs of «Grey Wolves». Even at his level, Kirito was wary because he has never fought against two packs with two mob bosses.

But she was terrified, tear tracks ran down her face, and he couldn't _not_ help her.

Especially when the memory of Suguha was still fresh on his mind. His younger sister whom he has failed as a big brother. He abandoned her - to their grandfather's wrath, to his depression when he found out their true relationship, to his obsession with video games. The last was the worst because it led him to this «Death Game» and he swore to make it up to her when he got out.

But right now, there was a little girl who was crying in fear right in front of him. And that little girl was someone's little sister. Someone worth protecting.

And since she didn't have her big brother to protect her, Kirito would do it in his stead. As one big brother to another, he would not fail her, not like how he failed Suguha.

Kirito ran past the girl and towards the mobs. With a battle cry, he swung his sword in a horizontal slash, hitting both «Alpha Wolves». Though his attack only took away a few pixels from their HP bar, he grinned viciously because now their attention was on him instead of her.

"Come and get me!" he yelled at them, turning away from the packs and sprinting to the right, keeping the mobs away from the other player.

Since he got the hate of both «Alpha Wolves», the rest of the «Grey Wolves» went after him as well and now he was running from two full packs.

After a few moments, he dared to look behind him and judged the distance between the faster and stronger «Alpha Wolves» from the slower and weaker «Grey Wolves». Seeing that the «Alpha Wolves» practically left their packs in the dust, he pivoted on his next step and ran back towards the «Alpha Wolves».

Dragging his sword behind him, he swung his sword in another horizontal slash that hit both mob bosses once they were in range. With a grunt, he forcibly stopped the momentum of his swing and slashed his sword in the opposite direction, returning his sword to its starting position.

"Tch."

It was going to be a long and tedious battle since his double slash only took away a few more pixels from their HP bars. With a thrust at one of the «Alpha Wolves» that was going to bite, he spun, dragging his sword behind him and hitting the other «Alpha Wolf» before running away once more.

Once he has deemed the distance between the «Alpha Wolves» and «Grey Wolves» to be adequate, he turned around to attack the mob bosses once more.

It was a tiring and repetitive pattern: running away before the «Grey Wolves» caught up to him, running back to attack the «Alpha Wolves» (and avoid their counterattacks), then running away once more once the «Grey Wolves» were catching up.

When the HP bars of the «Alpha Wolves» were finally - _finally!_ \- in the red zone, he turned around and dragged his sword behind him in the preparation of another horizontal slash. But this time, instead of a normal attack, he was going to activate the «Sword Skill: Horizontal».

«Sword Skills» increased the speed and damage output of the player, thanks to system assistance, but afterward, the player would be paralyzed due to «Post-Motion», which rendered the player vulnerable to attacks. The stronger the «Sword Skill», the longer the «Post-Motion» period.

For «Sword Skills» to work, the player should fulfill two prerequisites: «Pre-Motion» and «Intent». «Pre-Motion» was simply positioning the sword and the body in the proper stance for the specific «Sword Skill». For «Horizontal», that was placing the sword behind his body, keeping it parallel to the ground. «Intent», on the other hand, was having the intention to activate the «Sword Skill», which was very important because the «Pre-Motion» for «Horizontal» was the same as the initial position for a normal horizontal slash. It was the «Intent», which could be detected by the NerveGear, that differentiated the two. And considering that «Horizontal» was stronger and faster than a normal horizontal slash, but also had a two-second «Post-Motion» period, it was _a very huge_ difference.

In his peripheral vision, he saw his sword turn bright red, a sign that the system recognized his «Pre-Motion» and «Intent». With a battle cry, he activated the «Sword Skill: Horizontal», letting the system move his body through the motions.

He grinned, exhausted yet triumphant, at the sight of the «Alpha Wolves» scatter to a million pixels.

Despite being paralyzed to the «Post-Motion» period, Kirito wasn't worried about being attacked by the twelve other mobs since «Grey Wolves» entered a three-second state of confusion when their «Alpha Wolf» got killed. That was more than enough time for him to recover from his «Post-Motion» period and launch his counterattack.

Once the two seconds were over, Kirito charged towards the still confused «Grey Wolves», slashing at them with no mercy. With a four-level difference between him and the mobs, he made quick work of the dozen «Grey Wolves» with his HP bar still in the yellow zone, if barely.

Glancing at the surrounding area for stray mobs again, he summoned his menu window.

«17:46»

The deactivation and «Cooling» period for his «Searching» skill have long passed, so he activated it again. When no mobs registered in his range (which has expanded to 16 meters since it leveled up), he let out a sigh out of relief and exhaustion.

"It's okay now! There are no more monsters around!" he called out to the girl who stood at the edge of his range.

As he turned to face her, he realized just how _young_ she was. She was probably at least two years younger than him, which was worrying because the minimum age requirement for SAO was 13. She must have lied about her age to enter SAO, which wasn't unusual since he has long been doing it in other MMOs. It wouldn't have been a problem, except now that SAO was a «Death Game», she just put her life at risk.

No wonder she was so terrified.

"Are you all right?" he called out, sheathing his sword with a flourish. For a moment, he thought that she didn't hear him and was about to ask her again when she hurtled herself at him. He fell to the ground from the impact and wondered if that could be considered an attack.

But those thoughts left him when he heard her crying.

"I was so scared...gonna die...I thought-" were some of the words he was able to make out from her sobbing.

As he lay down on the rocky ground, Kirito internally panicked because he had no idea how to comfort her. Suguha hardly needed comforting from him since she was much stronger than him in all ways that mattered. Besides, they drifted apart because of him, and so, she would hardly turn to him when she needed comfort. As for his IRL friends, well, a nerd like him was only friends with fellow nerds. And none of his friends was cute girls who had a tendency to cry. Not that he didn't have cute girl friends. They just didn't cry to him, or in this case, on him.

He struggled for a while before finally deciding to place his hand on the back of her head. That was safe, right? He wasn't going to get the harassment window and become an orange player this early in the game, right?

"...You know, we're more likely to get attacked by monsters if we stay out at night," he commented.

At that, she immediately jumped off him, looking more worried and terrified than before. He truly wasn't meant to comfort people.

He got up and, on a whim, offered his hand to her. "Let's go back to «Horunka Village» and you can tell me why you ran all the way from «Starting City» to here?"

At her tear-filled glare, he backtracked his words. " _Or not!_ You don't have to tell me!" he said, fearing that she would burst into tears again. "But we do have to get out of this area before it gets dark. Okay?"

She looked at him, uneasy at his offer. If he was in her shoes, he would be uneasy, too, since he hardly looked like the trustworthy type. But despite her reservations, she took his hand and grasped it tightly, as if seeking comfort from that simple gesture.

He squeezed back before leading them to «Horunka Village».

 ** _November 10, 2022 - End._**

 _so, new fandom, new problem. haha. sao has become my newest obsession because the premise is awesome but the execution is meh. then progressive was released and i fell in love._

 _alternative titles to this fic are: "little sister squad" (and i really call it lss in my head.) and "this is supposed to be a story and not an attempt to understand the gameplay mechanics of sao"_

 _the latter only happened because as i was writing a "what if kirito met silica in the first floor" story, i was wondering how sao worked. like, as a gamer (not as avid as i used to be because rl eats up so much of my time), what are the quests, the mechanics, the stats? how do sword skills actually work, don't tell me you stand there for x seconds until the system recognizes your pre-motion? how is that pre-motion different from a stance of a normal attack? you can send green players to jail, how is that fair? what do you need to enhance weapons? why did it take two months before anyone reached level 10 (based on progressive light novel)?_

 _so many questions and so few answers. so you know what, i made answers for myself._

 _gameplay mechanics are mostly canon compliant. plot is also mostly canon compliant, though i did take characters in other arcs in sao because they're fun and interesting and they have pretty good reasons to be in sao, so why not?_

 _lastly, this shall be (hopefully) updated every saturday._

 _enjoy~_


	2. November 11, 2022 (Part One)

Ayano Keiko truly lived up to her name as a "lucky child".

She knew her name didn't spell out "lucky child" since her father named her after an element in the periodic table, just like how her grandfather named her father. But even her scientifically-inclined family, who lived their lives based on facts and hard evidence, had to admit that the likelihood of her winning games of chance was very high. None of them could explain her unnaturally lucky streak but knew it almost always held true, like the time she won her «NerveGear» from a lottery.

Of course, her lucky streak was spectacularly broken when the game's creator, Kayaba, turned the first VRMMORPG into a prison and a death sentence.

Then she met Sasha-sensei, a kindly woman in her twenties who looked out for young players like her, which made her think that her luck might be returning.

But it was meeting Kirito which made her believe that her lucky streak was back, stronger than ever.

He was an older player. Definitely younger than Sasha-sensei with his baby effeminate face, but definitely older than her, with the way he confidently carried himself. And he was strong. Very strong. Stronger than most of the players she met along the way while she was being chased by wolf monsters.

(Players she would never get a chance to meet again. And it was _all her fault_.)

He was also very kind, much like Sasha-sensei who went out of her way to help people. After going out of his way to save her, he still offered her free food and lodging, paying both with his own hard-worked Col.

And most importantly, he didn't pry why she left «Starting City». Or more like he was terrified to ask because he was afraid of her tears. Which in hindsight was very hilarious because he could take down two wolf packs without hesitation but the moment tears start forming in her eyes, he would back away as if he's facing a high-leveled monster.

(Her own father was just like that. He could shake off chemical burns, electrical shocks, and explosions with a laugh but was paralyzed at the sight of tears from her mother or herself.)

"Where are we going, Kirito-san?" she asked, following the dark-haired teen around «Horunka Village» after eating breakfast at the inn they were staying in.

"Getting you proper equipment, Silica-chan," he replied and she _flinched_.

That's right. Her name wasn't Ayano Keiko, not anymore. It was Silica now, a play on her real name, Keiko, which represented the fourteenth element in the periodic table, _Keiso_. Silicon.

Like Kirito wasn't his real name either, just a username in-game. It wasn't real. Nothing here was real.

Except for death and despair.

"Silica-chan?" calling her attetion, looking at her with a concerned expression. She was surprised to realize that she stopped in the middle of the road. She didn't remember when she stopped.

"I- uh," she stuttered, not knowing how to put her thoughts into words.

Instead of asking for an explanation, he smiled at her. It was small and awkward, as if he wasn't used to smiling at all. The corners of his lips were tilted upwards, but it looked forced and unnatural on his face.

He was trying so hard to comfort her without words, despite how uncomfortable he was.

She felt herself tearing up because he was so very _kind_ towards her and she was just _so ungrateful_ and unfair to him.

As predicted, he panicked at the sight of her tears.

" _Mou_. Is my smile so horrible that it brought you to tears?" he asked, the smile wiping away from his face leaving a pout.

And she couldn't help herself, she giggled.

"No, no!" she managed to say in between her sobs and giggles (and she couldn't identify which was the cause of her tears anymore).

"It's just that- I'm so sorry. You're so nice to me and I put you in danger and I don't even understand why you're so nice and I..." she trailed off, not knowing where her train of thought was leading her.

"Well," he said, scratching his cheek. "You reminded me of my younger sister. That's why I helped you."

"You must be such a great big brother, willing to put yourself in danger for her," she found herself saying and he shook his head at her praise.

"Not really. I mean, we were pretty close when we were younger. But then, I pushed her away. Well, more like I pulled away from her because... of reasons," and Keiko - _no, Silica, her name was Silica_ \- realized that he was willing not to push her because he had his own secrets to keep. She could respect that. "It didn't help that we had vastly different interests: she was into Kendo and was even competing in the nationals, while I was into video games. We were like day and night. And I didn't do anything to heal the distance between the two of us that I created."

"But you want to fix it, don't you?" she asked and he looked surprised at her question.

" _Of course!_ When we get out of here, I'm going to be the best big brother in the world," he said with such conviction.

She couldn't help herself and giggled again.

"Oi, oi. I'm not that bad," he said, pouting at her. She shook her head.

"I'm not laughing because I think you can't be the best big brother in the world. I'm laughing because you think you aren't already. And she probably thinks the same, too, despite the distance between the two of you," she explained herself and he tentatively brightened at her words.

"Really?" he asked, looking much younger and innocent than his actual age.

"Yup!" she replied, confident and bright.

"How do you know?" he asked before shaking his head. "Don't tell me it's one of those 'little sister things' that I would never understand."

"I'm an only child," she offered freely since he offered so much of himself without asking for anything in return. It was only fair that she gave back something in return, even if it's just a small tidbit about herself. "But since you consider me as your little sister, then _yes_ , it's one of those 'little sister things' that you won't understand!"

He was surprised at her words then smiled at her. And this time, the expression didn't look wrong on his face. It was a small and soft smile, gentle and natural.

"Thank you, Silica-chan," he said, then frowned. "I was supposed to comfort you and you end up comforting me instead." He shook his head before speaking, "And we got side-tracked. We need to buy you proper equipment because you're not going back to «Starting City», where it's safer, right?"

She shook her head violently because it was definitely _not_ safer there.

"And you don't want to stay here in «Horunka Village» either, despite being a safe zone, which means nothing and no one could attack you here," he continued and she nodded.

"It's safer with you," she said solemnly as if stating a fact of life. And for Silica, it truly was since she has never felt safer in the five days of the «Death Game» until Kirito found her and saved her.

"I can't stay in safe zones because I need to get stronger to survive and escape," he said, serious and solemn.

"Then I'll get stronger with you. And we can escape this game together with everyone!"

"I don't want you to... get hurt because of me."

Silica was aware that players didn't feel pain in the game so she understood what he truly meant when he paused. He didn't want her to die.

She didn't want to die either. And more importantly, she didn't want Kirito to die, too.

"I'm not going to die! I'm going to fight and be stronger and live!"

"What if you find a monster that's stronger than you?" he shot back. She grinned because she already knew the answer to that question.

'Then you're going to protect me! Because you're my Kirito-nii!"

At her words, he looked so torn. As if he couldn't decide whether to be embarrassed or pleased. Then he let out a _sigh_.

Though she kept a grin, she was worried at his reaction because it was very impulsive of her. What if it was too forward of her? She has heard that sigh before, hopeless and helpless and the prelude to something _horrible_.

"I'm... not going to win against you, am I?" he asked instead.

She blinked at his words before letting out a relieved laugh.

" _Nope!_ Not at all!"

"You're just like Sugu. I can't win against her either," he commented with a shake of his head.

"Your... real sister?" she asked, hesitant.

"Aah," he responded with a nod.

She ignored the sharp sting in her heart. Her virtual heart in her virtual body. As in not her real heart because nothing here was real. Not her heart, not her body, not the pain. And definitely not her big brother.

 ** _November 11, 2022 (Part One) - End._**

 _silica was surprisingly depressing. also, it's saturday somewhere in the world so i'm not that late. (i am just terrible with deadlines. i'm sorry.)_

 _part two next saturday._

 _enjoy~_


End file.
